Silently Blessed
by Didi
Summary: Vacationing with Jubilee, doing anything with Jubilee, is never quite as he expected. Northstar & Jubilee


Silently Blessed 

By Didi

**Disclaimer:**  Marvel has all rights to these characters.  I don't own, don't sell, don't know anything in fact.  By the way, according to a friend, I am infringing upon copy right issues but because Marvel has better things to do, they're probably never going to interfere here.  (grins)  Which means I can mess with the Marvel characters to my heart's content!

**Timeline:**  Hum…  I'm not sure.  This "Silence" series kind of went off onto its own timeline.  Oh and this is following "Silent Adoration," so reading that story would help put this one in its timeline.  

**Author's Note:**  This is a sequel, most definitely a sequel.  Sequel to what, you are probably asking.  Sequel to "Silent Adoration" of course.  Weren't you reading the timeline area?  But for those of you that are looking to see the Three Amigos crash Jubilee's vacation with Northstar, are going to be sorely disappointed.  I wanted to keep this a solely Northstar/Jubilee friendship series and therefore decided against more interaction with the rest of the team.  They'll make an appearance, of course, that simply couldn't be helped.  

So this "Silence" series seemed to have taken a life of its own.  Who knew that I'd be writing Northstar/Jubilee fan fictions?  I always assume that I'd be writing Jubilee/Bobby stories because they're my favorite characters.  (sigh)  Anyways… go read the "Silence" stories to background but no need for it to simply enjoy the story.  

And no, the "Silence" series generally have nothing to do with the developing "Somewhat" series about Bobby and Jubilee.  Thanks for asking though.  

**Rating:** PG-13

**Summery:**  Vacationing with Jubilee, doing anything with Jubilee, is never quite as he expected.    

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

            "Waaaahoooooooo!" 

            "_Enfant_, get down here!" 

            "Can you feel it, JP?  Can you feel it?" Jubilee yelled over the rush of the wind against her face.  She could almost smell the salt of the sea as she closed her eyes and spread her arms wide to embraced paradise.  

            "Get down here now before you fall down!" Jean-Paul yelled and reached up to grab a handful of the wide tee-shirt she wore over shorts that he saw get more than one glance over and tugged firmly.  "And it's Jean-Paul."  Jubilee stumbled back in from the open sunroof she had been poking through to enjoy the fresh air offered by the seaside resort.  "Are you mad child?" he turned his attention on her for a second before focusing on the road again.  Better yet, he wondered if _he_ was mad to have agreed to spend the next two weeks with her as his sole company.  He actually _volunteered_ too.  

            Nothing short of World War III was going to shake the good mood that Jubilee was in.  Fourteen days on a sandy beach with nothing more to worry about except what she wanted for dessert.  And she had no doubt in her head that that's exactly how Jean-Paul had planned it.  Leaning over, she pressed a kiss against the pale-faced Canadian's cheek and laughed as he sputtered a protest.  "I don't think I've thank you yet for arranging this trip," her smile widened even more as she turned and looked out the window and watched _fine_ looking men run by.  One of them had a body that could give Gambit a run for his money.  "I don't think I realized how much I needed this until now."

            Saying nothing, because he had nothing to say, Jean-Paul concentrated on navigating the road and getting them to the hotel in one piece.  

            Since leaving the airport, or maybe before that, Jubilee had been a bundle of non-stop energy that just elicited smiles from everyone they've met so far.  From the frumpy ticket clerk to the stewardess with too much makeup to the baggage checker to the rental car salesman, everyone couldn't help but return a smile or two when confronted with the bubbling girl that bounced when she walked and laughed when she talked.  It was a bigger challenge to stay annoyed, especially after a ten hour flight when a companion that simply _won't_ shut up, when she couldn't stop looking at him with such unadulterated joy in her eyes.  

            "LOOK AT THAT!" standing in her seat once more and sticking her head out the sunroof.  "Are those dolphin?" her eyes trained on the ocean.  

            "Jubilation, sit down!" tugging hard on her shirt once more.  He had a feeling That he'll be spending a great amount of time on this vacation trying to rein her in.  "If you don't behave yourself while I attempt to navigate these unfamiliar roads, I'm turning this car around and heading back to the airport!"  

              Laughing like a loon, she turned in her seat and hugged him around the shoulder, telling him without words that she was going to good.  It was truly amazing how much she can say with a simple look, a little touch, an arch of a brow, a tight hug or falling into utter silence.  "You sound just like a dad," she informed him then settled into her seat to smile widely out the window at the scenic beauty before her.

            Jean-Paul wasn't sure if he should be flattered or appalled.  

            Pulling into the parking lot of the five-star resort, he took a moment to remember that this wasn't as it used to be.  He didn't use to be able to pick up and go on vacation simply because he wanted to… or in this case, when someone else needed.  Getting out, he watched with amusement as Jubilee struggled with her duffle.  One good thing about the child, she packed light.  Or as light as a girl is suppose to pack.  One duffle and that was all she wanted to bring.  She apparently hated the baggage claim as much as he did.  

            After watching her make a third attempt at lifting the heavy bag from the truck, he finally reached over and lifted it with one hand.

            Jubilee made a face at him.  "I hate being short.  You can't get any leverage."

            "Don't make excuses simply because you are weak," he replied.

            She stared at him in shock.  "Was that a joke, JP?"

            "Jean-Paul," he reminded her yet again.  Was he slowly going insane or was this name game beginning to amuse him?  "Let's check in."

            Grinning happily, she grabbed the bag from the ground and slung it over her shoulder with a grunt as Jean-Paul locked the door of the sporty little car they had rented for their stay.  When Jean-Paul attempted to take the bag from her, she shook her head and headed for the hotel door.  "My bag, my problem, I can handle it."

            If Jubilation Lee had turned at that moment, she would have been much surprised to see the admiration in those icy blue eyes that followed her.  Jean-Paul has never known another quite like her.  Strength of character was not often found; and to see it in one so young and so bright with life was a combination that left those around her breathless.  Independence in youth was often times traded with bitter cynicism; witness his own experiences.  But Jubilee seemed to manage the impossible.  She, through all the terrors of youth and life, managed to still see beauty in the world around her at all times and not have to weaken herself by replying on anything but her own inner strength.  

            The hotel clerk behind the check-in counter had to be the most pompous idiot Jean-Paul has ever had the displeasure of meeting his entire life.  The only thing that saved the man from a punch in the nose from the usually disaffected entreasure was Jubilee's complete oblivious to everything but the aquarium of brightly tropical fishes that sat at the center of the check-in counter.  With her ripped shorts and oversize tie-dye tee-shirt, Jubilee hardly fit into the cream and brazen elegant décor of the expensive Three Palms Resort.  

            When one overly anxious security guard took a signal from the clerk to eject the intruder, Jean-Paul called to the happy child.  "Jubilee!"

            "Come look at this, JP," waving him over as she kicked her bag out of the way so he could stand by her side.  Giving the clerk one sharp look that dared the man to say a word, Jean-Paul joined his young friend by the water tank.  "I didn't even know see-through fishes existed in the world."

            Politely looking at the aquarium and frowned at the tiny fishes that appeared to be made of glass.  "Fascinating," he murmured and stood taller.  "Shall we check in and get some rest?"

            "Rest?" she goggled at him.  "I thought we were on vacation?"

            "We are," he reminded her, confused by her incredulous look.  "Rest and relaxation?  Isn't that the whole point of this trip?"  

            "Yeah, I guess…" she looked at the window; the sun was just beginning to throw a few golden rays across the calm waters of the afternoon.  "But it's awful nice outside.  Don't you want to _rest_ on the beach or something?" she asked eagerly.

            He almost smiled.  She was so ridiculously predictable at times.  "I think the beach would be an ideal place to rest from the plane ride over."

            If she were any happier, she'd be floating.  

            Looking at the clerk at the counter, he pulled his identification out along with his credit card.  "Beaubier, Jean-Paul," he glanced at the bright eyed girl by him whose eyes were wondering the lobby with interest.  "And guest," he said dryly.  

            The clerk glanced at the youth, then at Jean-Paul, and then took the offered identification and payment without a word.  The slight raise of the brow from the sharp nosed man said too much.  Jean-Paul could already see the wheels of speculation churning in the man's head.  A rich man with a youthful looking girl out in the middle of paradise… can you spell 'illicit affair?' He dismissed it as unimportant and waited for the completion of the transaction.  

            "Ah yes, here we are," the clerk's long thin fingers tapped eagerly on his keyboard as he read the reservation and glanced briefly at the card in his hand.  There had been plenty of notes in the memo sections to tell him who this guest was.  The silent question that no one will dare to voice was who his _guest_ was.  "Penthouse four."  

            Something occurred to Jean-Paul suddenly.  "Is it the only one on the floor?"

            "Well, no.  Penthouse three also occupies the…"

            "I want that one as well."

            The clerk blinked.  "You would like Penthouse three, sir?"  

            "Yes," he answered carelessly, glancing to his right at Jubilee, who was staring out the window at the waves that crashed against the surf.  

            "All right then," nodding quickly as his hand flew over the keyboard once more.  The eccentricities of the customers never ceased to amaze him.  But when one is paying over a thousand dollars a night for a penthouse, he should have the one that he wants.  "I'll just transfer your reservation to…"  

            "Transfer?" he asked, slightly distracted by the non-expression on Jubilee's face.  She was watching the ocean with such calmness that it was almost eerie after her over the top enthusiasm all day.  Pushing the concern away, he focused on the resort clerk once more.  "Why would there be a need to transfer anything?"

            "Well…"

            "Just add the room to the bill," Jean-Paul said as a matter of fact before he turned to Jubilee.  "_Enfant_, did you want to eat on the beach this evening?" thinking that would be a good idea.  He didn't like that slightly pensive look on the child's face.

            "That'd be nice," she murmured quietly as her eyes continued to study the horizon.  

            "Excuse me, Mr. Beaubier," the clerk said clearing his throat slightly. 

            "What?" he asked irritably.  He really didn't like the far away look on Jubilation's face now.  There was something hauntingly familiar about it and it was making him uneasy.  

            "Is there a problem?" an official looking man with a suit that likely cost somewhere between five to seven hundred dollars appeared behind the nervous looking clerk.  Obviously, the manager had arrived.  

            Jean-Paul raised a brow.  "I should hope not," and looked pointedly at the clerk.  

            The clerk was tugging lightly at his collar now.  "I… Mr. Beaubier made a reservation for a Penthouse and our system placed our guest in Penthouse Four.  But Mr. Beaubier would prefer Penthouse Three."

            "I said no such thing," he informed them with a sharp look.  "I asked if Penthouse Four was the only one on the floor and was informed it was not."

            "That is correct," the manager replied politely, not quite perceiving of the problem yet.  His eyes went to the young lady for a moment before dismissing that train of thought.  It was his job to see to the guests' comforts, not their moralities.  

            "I was also informed that Penthouse Three reside on the same floor and requested that one as well," he continued with another glance at Jubilee.  She was staring out the window almost transfixed now.  Her silence was making him very nervous.  

            The manager looked startled.  "Are you requesting to book both suites, sir?"

            "Isn't that what I just said?" Jean-Paul snapped impatiently.  He didn't understand the problem at hand, it's not like he couldn't afford it.  And why is the child still looking out into the ocean like she wanted to join it.  "Is that going to be a _problème_?"

            "No, no," the manager got out in a hurry.  "It's just… it's a little unusual, sir, given that you only have two guests and…" he didn't know why he was bothering to explain, especially when the man was standing there looking like he was about to strangle him if he kept talking.  .

            "I want the whole damn floor not just half of it," Jean-Paul informed the annoying man through clinched teeth.  He had promised the rest of the X-Men that nothing was going to happen to Jubilee while she was with him and taking the floor was a wise security precaution on his part.  

            "Yes, sir," the manager elbowed the clerk hard in the ribs to get he man working.  

            He dismissed them for a moment from his thoughts.  "Jubilee?" his voice softening to not startle her.  There was something terribly fragile about her at that moment.  She turned to him with bright blue eyes that were devoid of all signs of life.  He held his breath, "Are you all right?"

            For a moment, she seemed to see right through him.  Blinking, she suddenly smiled, her animated face once again full of life and soft gentle affection.  "It's going to be great being able to see the sunset with dinner."  

            Almost heaving a sigh of relief, he turned back to the concierge.  "Are we done yet?"

            "Yes, yes…" the manager dug out the four key cards.  "Will the young lady be taking the second suite for her own?"

            Jean-Paul paused for a moment, turning to look at the child who was staring back at him with a sweet smile… too sweet of a smile.  The little minx was waiting to see what he would do.  On the one hand, privacy was an issue that he didn't really want to deal with and her in the other room might mean that he'd actually have some peace and quiet to himself every once and while.  But putting her in the other room also would hinder his ability to save her if, god forbid, they are attacked – and with the X-Men, it wasn't an unlikely possibility – and he knew with absolute certainty that his new teammates would have his head if anything happened to her.  Than again, putting her in the other suite might dull the questioning looks from those around him, including the teammates.  Of course that's not going to mean much if she got hurt.  

            Looking at her, and her sly smile, he knew she was enjoying conflict he faced.

            His self-preservation and the fact that she snuck another pensive glance at the wide expanse of water outside the window decided for him.  "_Non_.  She'll stay with me."

            Her smile turned smug as if to say that she already knew that answer to that question long before he did but reframed from informing him.  

            The dark frown he shot her way didn't faze her one bit, a fact he wasn't sure if he liked or not.  

            It was another twenty minutes while Jubilee gushed over the beautifully designed room before they made their way down and picked up the picnic basket he had ordered and headed for the beach.  The setting sun was throwing bright golden rays across the water when Jubilee finally settled under a coconut tree and spread out the peach color sheet she had brought along as a beach blanket.  

            She was fussing with the chicken, pouring too much lemonade into cups and generally making a mess as she set out their dinner.  Chatting happily, she managed to distract Jean-Paul with pithy comments about the tourists that wondered along the beach.  It wasn't until they had sat back to enjoy the crimson rays of the sun setting in the horizon when Jean-Paul finally asked her what had been lingering in his mind.

            "What were you thinking back at the hotel?"

            Startled, she choked on the lemonade she had been taking a sip of.  Pounding her lightly between the shoulder blades, he waited patiently for her to calm down sufficiently to talk.  "What do you mean?"

            "You looked… _différent_," he had wanted to say sad, lost, lonely, but none of those words seem to apply to the vibrant child easily.  To be honest, he didn't want to apply those words to the girl that had dragged him out to see _The Matrix_ with a group of screaming teenagers, gave him a Christmas present that meant something and included him into her family.  "Not quite all here."  

            Turning to sass him, she suddenly stopped herself when she read the concern that only showed in his eyes while the rest of his classically handsome face remain expressionless… well, mildly curious anyways.  "I'm not thinking about doing anything stupid, if that's what you're thinking.  I thought I told you, suicide isn't high on my list of things to do before I die."  

            He frowned at her but felt something loosen in his chest.  "So what were you thinking?"

            Her blue eyes glaze out across the sea of red with a pensive look.  "I was thinking that was in a dream."

            He said nothing allowing her to continue on her own.  He's learned in the past months that when it came in insights, the child was surprisingly logical.  And sometimes, she simply need the time and space to retrieve those thoughts.  

            "I had this dream once," she began softly, watching the gentle waves rolled onto the sandy beach.  "It must have been a few days after the last funeral," and there seemed to be more and more of them, "Maybe even the day after.  I'm standing on a beach, much like this one though this is definitely prettier, and I was watching the sunset… with Angelo."  She smiled as she said his name.  Fond memories of him have long since replied the final image of him in her mind.  

            Jean-Paul watched her face, that pretty face that reflected too many departed friends, too much harsh lights, too many battles lost, too much heartache, and wondered how she found the strength to smile.  

            "I think it was probably the only time he and I were together that we weren't laughing or arguing, that should been a clue that it wasn't all together real."  Her hand slipped to her side, drawing whirls in the sand.  "We were just standing on a deserted beach watching the sunset."  She lifted her face to catch the last warmth of the setting sun.  "And it was beautiful."  She said the last would with such joyous wonder that Jean-Paul could almost feel it.  

            "And then he started to walk into the ocean," she murmured softly.  "Just took one step forward and then another, and then another.  And all I could do was stand there, just watching him without any ways to tell him to stop."  A wrinkle appeared between her brows as she searched her memories of that dream.  "It's like watching a train wreck, knowing what's coming but helpless to stop it."  She looked at him, her eyes sad and lost for a moment.  "And all I could think about was that I wanted to go with him.  I didn't want to be left behind," she turned her face, eyes no longer seeing the dimming day.  "And then he turned around, hip deep in water, and smiled at me."  Her lips turned up into a glorious smile that didn't seem to match her sad, teary eyes, yet…  

            His heart clinching slightly, Jean-Paul wondered if he wanted to know what happened next.  "He's in a better place now.  Somewhere kinder to our kind than this life."  

            "I know," she turned to him, her eyes bright with unshed tears and something that looked like happiness.  It confused him.  "He's in a much better place now.  And he knew that.  He turned and smiled at me, telling me not to worry so.  He was going to be okay but that he needed to go, to leave me."  Pressing her fingertips to her lip, she resisted the urge to burst into tears.  "He said that he'd wait for me.  I had unfinished business here and that I had to complete them before I get to join him again."  The tear that rolled over her cheek wasn't even felt.  "But that he'd wait for me to come when I'm done here.  That he'd wait forever."

            There were no words to describe the kind of ache that settled in his chest as Jean-Paul watched the little innocent before him silently relive the moments that lead to the lost of a dear friend.  He hadn't been there when the rest of the X-Men found several former members of the X-family, Jubilee and Angelo included, dead and crucified on the front lawn of the Xavier School.  He didn't know who found her first, he didn't really care, all he knew that it had not been pretty.  Logan lived with a quiet rage, even after disposing of the villains.  Warren prowled the school at nights for several weeks after, reassuring himself that nothing of the sort will happen again.  Kurt cloistered himself seeking atonement for his sins.  Bobby stalked Jubilee for days after her resurrection, fighting against putting her back on active duty so soon after her attack.  But Jubilee… she laughed, she teased, she mourned, she played, she sang, she shopped, she battled her own demons privately and she welcomed him into her sun-filled world where everything was beautiful.  

            And he?  He was silently blessed with her return to the X-Men, her unflinching trust extending to him simply because; included his cynic self into her family, making him part of the whole.  

            With sigh, Jubilee leaned against his shoulder, dropping her head against his arm.  "I didn't realize that I needed to hear that from him, that he was okay and was waiting for me.  Have you ever been sad and happy at the same time?"

            "_Oui_," he answered without thought.  "Every time I see Jean-Marie."  

            There was a pressing silence and Jean-Paul could have pulled his own tongue out.  What was he thinking?  At least Jean-Marie was still alive and he was allowed to see her when the need it strikes him.  How could that compared to one that was lost for good?  

            "It must be hard," she whispered, squeezing his arm gently with her hand.

            There was a moment of confusion as Jean-Paul realized that _she_ was offering _him_ sympathy.  "It's always hard to watch someone suffer and be unable to help ease the pain."  

            "You ever wish…" she flinched and pulled away, her face turned so he couldn't see it.  

            "What?" 

            "Nothing."

            "Finish the sentence, _Enfant,_" he advised softly as he sipped the fine wine provided with dinner.  "I won't become angry."

            She looked at him with those true blue eyes.  It had always been in the back of his head to ask how she could have had such brilliantly beautiful sapphire eyes when every other feature on her pretty face screamed Asian.  But for now, those glittering gems of blue stared back at him with regret as she asked, "You ever wish it was different, that Jean-Marie no longer suffered?  That you don't suffer any more?"  

            The question wasn't a new one, only one that's never been vocally expressed.  And every time it passes through his own mind, after a bad visit or a fight, he was filled with a sense of guilt that almost overwhelm him.  But there was no judgment in those eyes, not accusations; she understood and accepted, just as he suspected that she would if of anything he had to say.  "Things are the way they are and we cannot hope to understand all the reason for them."

            "Is that your round-about way of saying that yeah you've thought about it but you won't ever wish it true?" she asked with a smile.

            He glanced at her, not quite sure if he liked the twinkle of amusement in her eyes.  "Brat."

            "I know," she acknowledged, leaning her head against his shoulder once more.  The sun had set and the skyline was dark with hints of stars that would no doubt make an appearance once the gentle breeze that ruffled her hair pushed the lingering clouds away.  "It's so beautiful here."

            "It's paradise," he pronounced, understanding the wonder he heard in her gentle whispered observation.  

            "Have I thanked you yet?"

            "Yes."

            "Can I thank you again?"

            "Not necessary."

            "But can I do it anyways?"

            "If I say no?"

            Her laughter, like a shower of kisses from heaven rained upon him.  A light fluttering touch of lips against cheek gave him an understanding of what heaven would be like one day… but not yet.  He wasn't done here yet.  

            "I hear there is a midnight surf out," she said enthusiastically.  "I don't suppose you'd be interested in…"

            "_Non_."

            "Oh come on," she pulled on his arm playfully then started to clean up their dinner picnic.  "It could be fun.  Just think of all those hot guys, wet from the ocean, glistening bodies in torch light and…"     

            "And what do you know about such thing?" Bobby Drake's voice was like ice water on a warm summer's night.  Well, it was close until the actual icy breeze from the Iceman's power hit Jean-Paul in full force as Bobby landed within two feet of them, his icy form melting away to the handsome All-American boy charm that characterized him.  His blue eyes twinkling with amusement, "Hiya Kiddo!"  

            "BOBBY!" Jubilee's feet kicked up sand as she flung herself at the laughing jokers.  "What are you doing here?" she demanded as he swung her off her feet in a whirling action that was as carefree as the girl appeared to be.  

            "Making sure the bad French import didn't lead you astray," Bobby told her with s grin for the disapproving Jean-Paul.  "And just in time I see, corrupting the youth and all that."

            "I'm not French, Otter-Pop, I'm Canadian," Jean-Paul pronounced as he stood slowly, watching the approach of Warren Worthington from above, which was garnering attention from a couple of 'ooohh' women watching, and looking around for any other member of the X-family that was probably lurking.  "What are you two _doing_ here?" he asked Warren, irritated that his time with the little one was interrupted, and wondering why that would upset him given his earlier wariness in allowing himself to be stuck with her alone for several consecutive days.  

            "A little sun, a little sand, a little surf," Bobby grinned as he pulled Jubilee to his side and sauntered back toward the obviously annoyed man.  "We found that to be such a good idea that we decided to join you.  The more the merrier, right?"

            Warren grinned at the aggravated look on Jean-Paul's face.  "By the way, kind of unaccommodating for you to have bought the room that we want.  Care to let us have it?"   

            "You're staying at the Three Palms too?" Jubilee's eyes were bright in the fading light as her smile turned wider.  She suddenly leapt across the blanket and hugged Jean-Paul around the waist, barely able to surprising the giddy excitement.  "Isn't this wonderful?"  

            He looked down at the top of the silky black head and wondered awkwardly how he was suppose to react to her always unpredictable but annoyingly endearing show of affections. "Define wonderful."

            "A word use by many but understood by few," Kurt Wagner said as he approached with his hands buried in the pocket of his board shorts.  With the image inducer, instead of his blue furred devilish looks, he appeared to be an almost ordinary handsome man.  But the twinkle in his eyes, it was most assuredly Nightcrawler.  "Nice night for a picnic on the beach."

            "It was perfect, everything was _so_ perfect," Jubilee informed him from where she was still clinging to Jean-Paul's chest.  Her eyes were bright with laughter and her grin told far more than Canadian can see.  "Midnight surf-out anyone?"

            "I'm gamed," Bobby interjected, reaching over to gently pull Jubilee from the slightly disconcerted Northstar.  While it was fun to watch Jean-Paul squirm, it wasn't so nice to see Jubilee wrapped around another man.  She looked just a little too content to stay there forever.  

            Bouncing on the balls of her feet, she paused to enjoy the moment before scrambling to get the picnic packed up.  "Bobby, go reserve a space for us first.  I'll be there in a sec."

            Warren and Kurt both reached for the child at the same time, pulling her to her feet.  Giving her gentle push, Warren flexed his wings.  "Go on, we'll clean up here."

            She looked at them tentatively, glancing Kurt who nodded his agreement and motion for her to go.  "You sure?"

            "Warren, offering to clean up after you, it's like a dream… or a nightmare," Bobby commented with a grin as he took Jubilee's hand.  "Don't looking a gift horse in the mouth.  If the billionaire playboy wants to play maid, let him.  Let's go!"  

            Clinching Bobby's hand a little tighter, she leaned over and brushed Warren's cheek with her lips.  "Thank you, Warren," she mewed sweetly before turning to Jean-Paul.  In her face was a wealth of affection that left the former Alpha Flight member speechless.  "Come watch us?" she never failed to include him.  

            Because words were not making its way easily from his slightly enclosed throat, Jean-Paul merely nodded and motioned for her to go as Bobby tugged on her arm.  "We'll follow later."

            "Promise?" she asked.

            "Get going, _Enfant_."

            She laughed and kissed his cheek as she rushed pass him with Bobby in tow.  

            "Stay out of trouble!" Kurt called after them.  He laughed watching Jubilee shrieked with delight as Bobby made a move to throw her into the sun warmed sea before swinging her about again, out of danger, and running down the soft sand beach.  The two raced down the surf with the kind of abandonment that was hard to imagine for those that lived their lives in this harsh world.  "I have not seen her this happy in what seems like too long."

            "Agreed," Warren picked up the last of the picnic materials and set it at Kurt's feet.  "I better fly ahead and make sure Bobby doesn't get him and her drowned."

            "Do that," Kurt said with a smile as the Angel took to flight.  A chorus of admiring 'ohh…s' and 'ahhh…s' followed the winged one's departure.  There was a moment of silence until Kurt spoke once more.  "She does that to people, you know."

            Head jerking around, Jean-Paul looked at this stranger with knowing eyes.  "Must you wear that?"

            Kurt nodded.  "This is Jubilee's week.  No need to borrow trouble when there is no need."

            "She doesn't mind.  She doesn't care."  And it was perfectly true; they both knew it.  There isn't a person less likely to mind the reactions garnered by the Nightcrawler's natural devilish appearance. 

            "But _I_ do, for her sake."

            Accepting that, he nodded.  "What did you mean by…"            

            A smile appeared, both amused and understanding.  "Jubilee's effect on people, especially people like you and me."

            "I'm still not following, _mon ami_."

            "She's the aftermath of a great storm, a whirlwind of something that is both frightening and beautiful.  She leaves you breathless with wonder, with awe.  You think there isn't anything like her in the world, yet you are blessed with the living, breathing being that is."  Kurt watched the dawning understanding in the man's eyes.  "We cherish her because she cherishes us, all of us, without reserve.  That is her gift to us, a gift that none of us know how to even begin to repay."  Looking around, "Though I do believe you found a rather nice start."    

            Jean-Paul didn't even pretend not to understand perfectly.  It was hard to swallow, especially for someone that has never had to rely upon anyone but himself for every scrap he had.  "So what do we do?" he wanted to know.  

            "Count our blessings," he advised with a smile.  

**~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~**

            Hum… I feel an ending here.  (shrugs)  Who knows?  I may do one more, just to wrap this all up.    


End file.
